Rondeau M379
The Rondeau M379 is a car sports prototype racing built from 1979 by Automobiles Jean Rondeau . Derived from the M378 last year (itself born from the ashes of the unalterable LM ), was later evolved versions and M379B M379C. Indication Technique Like the unalterable LM and the M378, the M379 was equipped with a Trellis frame in steel sandwich panels of reinforced aluminum, which was connected with the engine structural functions. The suspensions were wishbones on all four wheels, with disc brakes Lockheed. The engine was the classic Ford Cosworth DFV V8 3.0-liter, now also tested for endurance racing and capable of delivering over 450 hp in this configuration, coupled with a change Hewland five-speed 1 . The bodywork of the car, designed using the company's Bureau of Design Oval was made of fiberglass and designed for exclusive use in Le Mans, where the smoothness is a bonus feature: very racy, with no rear wing and with only a pair of rear fins to increase stability at high speeds, it differed from the original design of '"unalterable LM" for the long tail and skirted rear wheel 1 . Subsequent versions were subjected to various refinements, the most visible of which were the use of two small flaps on the M379B and an aileron, full width on M379C, which also saw installed on a pair of copies the new engine Ford Cosworth DFL V8 3.3-liter, a variant of the old DFV specially designed for endurance races Sports results 1979 Three Rondeau M379 were entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979, one of which is realized by modifying the M378 built the previous year, getting a sponsor for each of them different, and succeeding, following the withdrawal of Renault, to convince new Henri Pescarolo and Jean-Pierre Beltoise to get back to racing for his team. So, with the support of VSD and Canon, the Rondeau No. 5 was piloted by the pair Jean Ragnotti / Bernard Darniche, the No. 4, painted with the colors of the ITT and Oceanic, was shared by Henri Pescarolo and Jean-Pierre Beltoise and, finally, Jacky Aran teamed with the same Jean Rondeau on No. 55 under the patronage of Merlin Plage: for the first time Rondeau has decided to put two of its prototypes in the main class, the Group 6 (Class "Sport over 2 liters ") (the No. 4 and No. 5), while the n ° 55 was enrolled in the GTP class (class" up to 3 liters "). In qualifying, Pescarolo / Beltoise got the time and Ragnotti or 9/6 or Darniche the time. However, for the first time, a prototype built by Rondeau failed to finish the race that year dominated by cars silhouette of Group 5 , with victory in the Porsche 935 Kremer Racing entrusted to the German Klaus Ludwig and the Americans Don and Bill Whittington . The other two Rondeau finished the race in 5 or 10 or and place (Ragnotti / Darniche and Pescarolo / Beltoise respectively). Finally it should be noted that the Rondeau Ragnotti / Darniche won Group 6 (Class "Sport more than 2 liters") . 1980 The following year, the Rondeau M379B 3 had to face at Le Mans the many customers of Porsche customer teams, including the most reliable was the Joest Racing with a boat of Group 6 driven by the same Joest and Jacky Ickx, followed by 935 Group 5 . The French team had prepared for the race with a 26-hour test session at Le Castellet, where he had approved the amendments to the power supply and cooling system that had allowed a power increase of about thirty horses, in addition to improvements which had reduced aerodynamic drag coefficient 4 .